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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27380236">The night after</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hereforthehurts/pseuds/hereforthehurts'>hereforthehurts</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Comfortember, Comfortember 2020, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Family Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Korrasami - Freeform, Whump</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:28:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,153</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27380236</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hereforthehurts/pseuds/hereforthehurts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened the first night after Venom of the Red Lotus (s3 e13)</p><p>Or, the first time Asami realized that she wasn't as lonely as she thought she is </p><p>(or the first time she realized that she loved Korra more than she thought she does).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bolin &amp; Korra &amp; Mako &amp; Asami Sato, Jinora &amp; Asami Sato, Korra/Asami Sato</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>137</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Comfortember 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The night after</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For comfortember day 2. Prompt: first day/night</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first night they came back from the Northern air temple, nobody slept. <br/>
<br/>
They were tired, of course—everyone were, both physically and mentally. But for some damned reason, nobody could take a rest, even when they’re being told to. Dozens of mattresses were laid out in the dormitory rooms for them to sleep, and it was so late into the night that even the air bisons had gone quiet. <br/>
<br/>
Still, somehow Asami had found herself sitting with Bolin and Mako in front of Korra’s room, where the Avatar was being treated at the moment. Bolin would wince whenever Korra’s pained scream was heard, and both Asami and Mako would hold him as their own tears fall. <br/>
<br/>
It was like hell. But they just couldn’t make themselves <em>leave. </em><br/>
<br/>
Asami jumped from her place when she felt a hand squeeze on her shoulder gently. She looks up, and it was Lin, holding three steaming mugs for them. “Pema wants you three to at least drink something. It’s going to be a long night.” she says, handing the mug out to her. <br/>
<br/>
“What’s in it?” She asks, receiving the mug carefully. <br/>
<br/>
“Tea. But they have something stronger if that’s what you want,” Lin offers a smile. “Just don’t tell Tenzin.”<br/>
<br/>
That made the three of them laugh, even if it’s just for a bit.<br/>
<br/>
The sliding door suddenly burst open, and they turned their heads abruptly to the source of the sound. Asami finds herself trying to catch a glimpse of Korra, even if it’s only her hair, to make sure that she was really <em>there, </em>at least—but Tenzin was blocking the way, his head stuck outside to take a look around the corridor. <br/>
<br/>
His eyes lit up when she saw Lin with them. “Lin, there you are,” he says, looking almost relieved. “We need you inside.”<br/>
<br/>
“Me?” She asks, frowning. “What—why?” <br/>
<br/>
“Kya needs you to metalb—” Tenzin stops himself before he could say anything else when he saw Asami, Mako and Bolin listening carefully along with Lin. Whatever it is that’s happening, it must’ve been <em>bad. </em>“It’s… we need you. Inside.”<br/>
<br/>
“Right,” Lin nods, squeezing Asami’s shoulder one last time before walking over to the door and disappears into the room. <br/>
<br/>
Tenzin follows her, giving the three of them an apologetic look. “You three should get some rest. You’re not going to be able to see Korra for a while, anyway.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why not?” Asami spoke up, surprised by how hoarse her voice is. “I can’t—I can’t sleep until I see her.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m sorry, Asami.” He tells her, looking as if he was about to cry himself. “It’s... rough. I have to go. Just… try to get some rest.” <br/>
<br/>
The door closes, and Asami wanted to scream. <br/>
<br/>
She wanted to scream and cry and break something, even with no energy left in her. But then she heard Bolin drops his head onto Mako’s shoulder and cries, again, for the millionth time that night, and Asami wipes her own tears and went to comfort him almost immediately. <br/>
<br/>
“Tenzin is right. We should go home,” Mako says, not even making any effort to try to comfort his brother, “try to get some sleep, maybe—you should too, Asami.”<br/>
<br/>
Asami shook her head. She had just realized it, now—Korra <em>is </em>her home. If it wasn’t for her, she wouldn’t have all these people knowing her, caring for her. Without Korra, she was nothing—just a girl with too much wealth on her hands and nobody left in the world who cared about her. It was almost piteous. “I don’t have a home,” she whispers. <br/>
<br/>
“Yes you do,” Bolin looks up, tears and snot and all, “you have us.”<br/>
<br/>
She shook her head once again, forcing out a smile for him. “You’re sweet, Bolin, but… I’m staying here, I think. I can’t… I can’t leave.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m not leaving you here alone,” Bolin tells her, then his brother. “I’m staying too.”<br/>
<br/>
Both Asami and Mako wanted to reason with him, but before they could, there were loud, rushed footsteps coming from the end of the corridor. It was Jinora, looking as if she had just woken up from a nightmare. Perhaps she did, because when Asami approaches her, she just started sobbing—tired, hopeless sobbing, and Asami’s heart broke all over again. <br/>
<br/>
“Hey, <em>hey</em>,” She kneels in front of her, speaking as softly as she could, “are you okay, sweetie? What happened?”<br/>
<br/>
Jinora just shook her head. “I—woke up,” she says between her sobs. “It was a dream, and Korra—”<br/>
<br/>
“Hey, she’s okay,” Asami tells her before Bolin and Mako could. “She’s going to be okay. Your aunt is one of the best healers in Republic City—you know that, right?”<br/>
<br/>
The younger girl nods, chest still heaving from her sobs. Asami wondered how much the girl had been crying before—it pains her, knowing that the eleven-years-old would be having many more nightmares to come from her trauma. <br/>
<br/>
“I helped Ikki sleep,” Jinora mumbles, starting to ramble her words out. “She was crying for a while and I don’t—I don’t know if I can help her if she wakes up again, and mom’s with Rohan, and I just wanted aunt Kya but she’s with Korra and I can’t sleep—I can’t—” <br/>
<em><br/>
“Hey</em>, hey I know<em>,”</em> Asami says softly. “Shh, I know, sweetheart. It’s okay. You did great. Deep breaths, alright?”<br/>
<br/>
Jinora pressed her hands on her face, aggressively wiping her tears away. Asami stops her, giving her hand a light squeeze. “I can come with you, if that’s okay.” She didn’t know why she says it, but she did—she needed a distraction, something that can help take her mind off Korra, even if it’s just for a while. Then she quickly added, “But it’s completely fine if that’s not what you—”</p><p>Her words were cut off by the younger girl wrapping her arms around her, sobbing into her jacket. “<em>Please.</em>”<br/>
<br/>
Asami looked back at Bolin and Mako, who nodded at her, then back to Jinora. It made her speechless, how much the girl trusted her—flattering, even. “Alright, then. Let’s get you to bed, yeah?”<br/>
<br/>
Jinora nods. She wraps an arm around the younger girl and leads her back to her bedroom while Jinora held on to her jacket for dear life, as if she was afraid of letting her go. <br/>
<br/>
“Go to bed, Jinora,” Asami says as she curls against Ikki, who was sleeping lightly, dried tears on her cheeks. “I’m right here. I’ll watch over for you.”<br/>
<br/>
“Thank you, Asami.” Jinora whispers to her. “You’re staying, right?” <br/>
<br/>
Asami nods, stroking her hair back from her tired face and wiping her tears away. It was the first time someone had asked her to stay, other than Korra. It made her feel… wanted. Loved. She hasn’t felt that in a long time. <br/>
<br/>
Maybe she wasn’t as lonely as she thought, after all. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A quick psa: I will be posting most of my writing to tumblr because some of them are OCs, so if you want to read them go on and head over to <a href="https://hereforthehurts.tumblr.com/">my tumblr blog</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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